3 Examples of God’s Majesty in Scripture
We worship a mighty God who deserves to have us fall to our knees in awe. However, if you’re like me, you often forget how majestic God really is. Losing sight of God’s glory makes it is easy to replace God with ourselves and worship our own majesty instead.
I was reminded of God’s glory during Nate Irwin’s sermon on Acts 26:12-18. In one powerful display of God’s divinity, the mission of Paul’s life is completely reversed. This passage represents God’s terrifying, drop-to-your-knees character traits. After the sermon, I recognized my small perspective of God and wanted to reflect on how tremendous God truly is. So, I looked at three other stories that display the wonder and majesty of God:
1. The Holy Spirit at Pentecost
In Acts 2:1-4, Paul describes the Holy Spirit’s coming as a violent wind with “tongues of fire” that rested on each person. This passage challenges the common idea that the Holy Spirit is the quiet, invisible part of the Trinity. Luke attempts to describe this surreal experience in detail, but it’s difficult to imagine this peculiar sight. The Holy Spirit’s coming at Pentecost wildly reveals the supremacy and majesty of God.
2. Moses sees the back of God
Exodus 33:17-23 is an amazing passage when thinking about the power of God’s glory. When Moses asks to see the glory of God, he is only allowed to see his back. God replies to the request by saying, “No one can see my face and live.” After I read this passage, I imagine God physically showing up in my room. I’m sure even the sight of his finger would cause me to fall down and tremble! The only thing I can do is worship–that is what God’s uncovered presence makes people do. In a way, I envy Moses’s personal experience with the glory of God. It is hard to imagine God this up close with sinful man, but I cannot wait for the day I will experience his magnificent splendor.
3. The Transfiguration
In Matthew 17:1-13 and Luke 9:28-36, Peter, James, and John had the privilege of experiencing Christ’s glory while spending time with Jesus on a mountain. Both gospels associate the surreal experience with bright light and Jesus’s face “changing” or “becoming different.” Luke mentions that Peter started speaking without knowing what he was saying (I probably would have done the same thing). When Peter, James, and John hear God’s voice, they fall face down in worship. God’s presence is so overwhelming that the initial human reaction is to fall to the ground. The whole scene is amazing and it shows how magnificent God is compared to humans.
These passages reveal how mighty God is and how small we really are; and when God speaks, we must listen. When God reveals himself, we must step out of the way. Meditating on these verses reminds me I do not need to be in control and I can trust in God’s tangible power. As you seek to draw nearer to the Lord, I encourage you to read and meditate on these passages for yourself, experiencing God’s glory as revealed through his Word.
